Game 69 Scouting Report: The Blue Jackets Look to Declaw the Panthers

Columbus Blue Jackets (44-18-6) vs. Florida Panthers (30-27-11)

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017, 7 p.m. (NATIONWIDE ARENA)

When the Florida Panthers are good, they seem to be likable. 

There was the 1996 team that stunned the hockey world on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, littering ice surfaces with toy rats along the way. Then there was last year's team, which featured the ageless, accessible, incorrigible Jaromir Jagr on the way to a surprise playoff run.

And other than that, there hasn't been much to cheer for. Since arriving in the NHL for the 1993-94 season, the Panthers have made just five playoff appearances. Since that run to a Finals sweep against Colorado, the Panthers have not won a single postseason series.

This year's team is still kind of fun -- Jagr is still there and now second in the all-time scoring list, and a youth movement has netted such talents as Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau -- but another playoff run does not appear to be in the cards.

The widely mocked midseason firing of former Jackets coach Gerard Gallant and the hiring of Tom Rowe did give the team a bit of a spark as Florida moved to the fringes of the playoff race, and a five-game winning streak moved the team to 28-20-10 on Feb. 20.

Since then, though, the Panthers are 2-7-1, and Tuesday's 7-2 thrashing of Toronto was the team's first regulation victory in that span. Still, such a comprehensive win has Florida players feeling like a miracle run to a playoff spot could be in the cards.

“We’re hoping this is one of those games we look at and continue to get better off of,” defenseman Keith Yandle said. “We can’t score seven goals every night, but we know we have the offense in here to get things done.”

The reality, though, is the Panthers face an uphill climb, especially with the standout young D Ekblad injured along with goalie Roberto Luongo. With 71 points, Florida is six behind Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders, who share the final spot.

You Oughta Know: Jonathan Marchessault

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault filled up QMJHL scoresheets in four seasons with the Quebec Remparts and showed a deft scoring touch with a 24-40-64 line in his initial pro season with the AHL's Connecticut Whale. He was in the Blue Jackets' organization a year later, scoring 21 goals and adding 46 assists for Springfield. Those impressive numbers earned him a two-game NHL debut cameo with the Blue Jackets with games against St. Louis and Detroit in early 2013. The small, quick 5-9 forward scored in neither, then returned to the minors, where his hockey journey continued. He ended up in the Tampa Bay organization, dropped the "Audy" and returned to the NHL in for most of last season, posting a 7-11-18 line in 45 games and scoring a single goal in five playoff games with the Lightning. This offseason, he signed with Florida and has had a breakout season with 22 goals and 20 assists in 61 games. Marchessault enters tonight on a three-game point streak (3-1-4), including a pair of goals against Toronto, and has not gone over two games without a point. 

[Fire Emoji] Right Now

• Aleksander Barkov has posted three consecutive multi-point games, posting two goals and four assists in that span. Since returning to the Panthers lineup on Feb. 3, Barkov has recorded 18 points (9-9-18) over his last 17 games. In the shootout this season, Barkov has a 66.7% success rate (6 of 9).
• Since returning Feb. 3 from an Achilles injury that cost him the first four months of the season, Jonathan Huberdeau has posted five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Huberdeau had 20 goals and 59 points in 76 games last year for the Panthers.
• Mark Pysyk enters the contest with goals in two of the last three games and leads the Panthers No. 1-ranked penalty kill in total ice time.

Five Fast Facts

• Florida has posted at least 40 shots over four of its last six games and has registered at least 30 shots in each of its last 11 games. 
• Trade deadlineacquisition Thomas Vanek, added for a third-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings, is 5 for 5 overall this year in shootouts. In six games since being acquired, Vanek has a goal and four assists -- all vs. Toronto -- to boost his season numbers to 16 goals and 27 helpers in 54 games.
• Injuries: D Aaron Ekblad (concussion), C Denis Malgin (concussion), G Roberto Luongo (lower-body)
• Keith Yandle is expected to play in his 620th consecutive NHL game tonight. His streak began March 26, 2009. 
• Former Jackets: Marchessault; Center Derek MacKenzie, 35, is in his third season with the Panthers after seven years with the CBJ. In 279 games with Columbus, MacKenzie had 31 goals and 38 assists along with a plus-19 rating.

Previous Matchups

Nov. 26: Florida 2, Columbus 1 (SHO)

Jan. 14: Florida 4, Columbus 3

ALL TIME SERIES: Columbus leads 14-7-0-2

Keys to the Game

STAY OUT OF THE BOX: Penalties nearly submarined the Jackets at Philadelphia on Monday and were surely a focus over the past few days of practice. That will be something to watch tonight, especially against a hot Panthers power play clicking at a 26.1-percent rate since Feb. 11.

TEAM DEFENSE: Florida averages just 2.51 goals per game, 24th in the league. But having Huberdeau healthy and Vanek in the lineup has spread scoring throughout the lineup, and the Jackets must be ready to face three lines that have scoring on the mind.

BURY THEM EARLY: Florida will likely be playing with confidence after the win vs. Toronto, but the reality is this is a team with just one regulation win in 10 games. The Blue Jackets have been good at taking early leads of late but haven't been able to keep them; Thursday would be a good day to change that.

Panthers Projected Lineup

10 Stats to Know

Impress your friends and enemies alike with these 10 key Florida Panthers stats.